


The Element of Surprise

by Tafka



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 06:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tafka/pseuds/Tafka
Summary: Josephine and Cassandra try to surprise Leliana for her birthday, but work keeps getting in the way.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DreamerInSilico](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamerInSilico/gifts).



It wouldn’t be a surprise, of course, but Leliana intended to look surprised, anyway. As she descended from her tower, she mentally prepared her expression of pleased shock followed by a bashful smile. She had not, after all, explicitly barred Josephine from telling Cassandra that it was her birthday, only that she was not, under any circumstances, to tell the Inquisitor. Cadash was far too excitable about these things, and would insist on making a fuss and also asking her age, which was unconscionable. The Inquisitor had far too much on her plate to distract her with silly celebrations. Not that Josephine or Cassandra had much less, It was all any of them could do to promise each other a quiet evening alone at least once a fortnight. 

This was not that night, but Leliana knew that Josephine had arranged a bottle of fine wine from the cellars, and Cassandra had met with Cullen about troop training three hours earlier than their usual schedule, leaving her evening free. She also knew that the kitchens had been instructed to send up a specially prepared meal that night. It did not take the intrigue of a spymaster to tell that they were planning a surprise for her when she returned to her quarters. Perhaps some sort of indoor picnic, Cassandra especially could be quite the romantic that way.

She made sure not to rush up, and give away that she knew, but took her time crossing the great hall towards the stairway. Unfortunately, this allowed one of her agents to catch up with her, a sealed scroll clutched in her hand.

“Word from the Emprise, M’am,” the girl said, quite out of breath, “You instructed it must be brought directly to you, the minute it came in.” 

“Indeed I did.” Leliana could see from the code of small indentations in the scroll’s wax that it was, in fact, a matter of great urgency. She took a long look at the door that led towards her quarters, then sighed and turned around. Though she hated to disappoint her lovers, all three of them had agreed that Inquisition business must always come first. It was just such a pity to ruin such a sweet surprise.

* * *

Keeping a secret from the Spymistress of Skyhold was a near-impossible task, but Josephine was confident she and Cassandra had accomplished it this time. Even after their original plan to surprise Leliana with a birthday present in her quarters had fallen through, they had rallied, and the new plan was to lure her away to Cassandra’s room after the war table meeting. Even though Josephine got to see their lover much more often than Cassandra did, at these regular advisory meetings, they were always all business around the war table. She sometimes worried that Leliana might go a full day without any interactions that weren’t about the Inquisition, and that troubled her.

There were no major issues on the table tonight, so she felt fairly confident that she and Leliana would be able to slip away afterwards with only some resource-gathering busywork to do. That was, until a serious-faced Cadash brought out a report about possible dwarven captives of the Venatori in the northlands. A delicate situation, of course, and one that called for a delicate hand. Cadash was always mindful of that, a trait that Josephine admired. 

It did mean that she had some rather hasty favors to arrange that night, however.

* * *

There was absolutely no way they would miss surprising Leliana this time. Cassandra was most determined, there would be no distractions. She had even taken the step of scheduling both of them for meetings with herself for the evening, in Josephine’s office, ostensibly to go over work-related items. Both of them would chide her for it later but it was often far better to ask forgiveness than permission, especially when it came to cajoling your lovers to take some time for themselves away from work. Josephine was often busy with entertaining an entire cadre of diplomats and nobles, but Leliana would sequester herself away from all social contact for days on end, only interacting briefly and formally with her agents. Cassandra worried about her most when she was in the field with the Inquisitor.

She had washed and changed from practice, and was just perfecting her application of kohl to her eyes when she heard the unmistakable steps of the Inquisitor on the stairway up to her loft room. They seemed somewhat faster than normal. 

Cadash burst in, all afluster. “Cassandra,” she gasped, “There... is a DRAGON.”

* * *

A full week after Leliana’s birthday, she was not at all surprised to see both her lovers in her tower at night. She had technically finished the work of the day, but there was always more to do, more that could be done before she was forced to take some rest. She put down her pen, and rose to meet them with a smile. “What brings you both here so late?”

“We didn’t forget your birthday,” Cassandra replied, without prelude. 

“I know, you were going to surprise me with a special dinner in my quarters, weren’t you?”

Josephine and Cassandra shared a sidelong look. “Well, something like that.” Josephine slowly revealed a covered picnic basket from behind her back. It was adorned with pale blue ribbons, and there was a snuffling sound coming from inside.

Leliana’s eyes went wide, and she gave a small gasp of shock. Gently, she reached out and unlatched the basket’s cover, opening it to reveal the most precious little piebald nuglet she had ever seen, sitting in a nest of blanket with a bow around its neck. “She… She’s beautiful, what’s her name?”

“Well, we were going to let you name her, but, since it took such a long time to get you alone…”

“Josephine’s been calling her Comtesse Squibbles,” Cassandra deadpanned.

Josephine tried to hide a smile and shrugged, “It just seemed to fit her.”

Comtesse Squibbles, engrossed in her task of gnawing on her ribbon, made soft grunting noises when Leliana lifted her out of the basket.

“We know you spend so much time up here alone,” started Cassandra.

“And that you miss Schmooples terribly,” continued Josephine, “so we wanted you to have some company when neither of us can be around.”

Leliana looked down at the warm little bundle in her arms, and softly scratched it behind the ears. “She is a perfect birthday surprise,” Leliana said, truly at a loss for more words.


End file.
